


Somewhere Out There

by stellar_dust



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-07
Updated: 2005-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-06 16:01:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellar_dust/pseuds/stellar_dust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After <i>Beachhead</i>, Daniel can't get Vala out of his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere Out There

Daniel was leaning forward, chin resting in the crook of his elbow, staring morosely at his compulsively tapping pencil when Sam stopped by.

"Hey," she said brightly, stepping in with a perfunctory knock at his open office door. "Ready to go? Cam's treat tonight, remember? Since he can't stop talking about how great it is to have the "*band*" back together." She chuckled.

"Band minus one," Daniel mumbled.

"Yeah, I know." Sam pulled up a stool and patted Daniel's forearm. "I miss Jack too. But I talked to him this morning, and he's fine, and -"

"Feels like it's minus two." With a sigh, Daniel sat up straighter and rubbed both hands over his face. "God, Sam, this is so screwed up."

Ah. Vala. Sam's face fell. Daniel'd seemed to be in such a good mood ever since they'd disembarked from the Prometheus, excited to be a single operator again, that she'd assumed the loss of his erstwhile companion hadn't had too great of an effect. Obviously, she'd been wrong. She cleared her throat. "So, um, what exactly was there between you two, anyway? If I may ask."

"Of course you can ask, Sam. You can ask me anything." Daniel raised his eyes and quirked a smile at her. "You mean, what was there between us besides antagonism, deceit, and scorn?" He laughed humorlessly, flicking a paper clip halfway across the room. "She was so annoying, Sam. She was the most annoying person I've ever met. On her good days - she was worse than Jack on a bad day, that's how exasperating. You know what I mean."

He glanced at Sam, and she nodded back, half grinning. Yeah, she knew. Daniel snorted and went on. "I was so excited to get back, you know? To sit in my office - in my *quiet*, *empty* office," he gestured expansively, "and get some work done. For a change. This tablet, that SG-12 brought back from PX4-725, has been sitting here for two weeks, not to mention the new set of tapes from Atlantis, and all I can think about is Vala, and how I never showed her that I trusted her."

Daniel laughed again, shortly, and rocked his chair back on two legs. "How messed up is that? Possibly the least trustworthy being in the galaxy who isn't a Goa'uld, and I trusted her with my life. Maybe not my bank account, but .. everything that matters. And every time she opened up to me, I blew her off."

Sam was biting her lip. Daniel narrowed his eyes and smiled self-deprecatingly, shaking his head. "Is this making any kind of sense to you? Because it doesn't to me."

"Actually, yeah." Sam cocked her head to the side and eyed Daniel with compassion. "You spent practically every waking hour with Vala, for weeks on end; it's no surprise that you're reacting to the change. And also," she raised a finger to forestall his interruption, "I saw you two together, Daniel. You were bickering and tearing into each other like an old married couple. She *really* got to you, Daniel, like I've never seen .. well, except Jack, and I don't think Jack's even set you off like that since -"

".. since I de-ascended," Daniel finished quietly. "The first time."

".. Yeah," Sam answered just as quietly.

Breaking the sudden silence, Daniel shoved his chair back with a screech and began to rinse the sludge from the bottom of his coffee cup. "Been sitting out for two days," he said in a high voice, over the running water. "Starting to solidify, I should be-"

"Daniel," Sam interrupted firmly. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this. We *all* should have been listening to Vala's ideas. Besides, we don't even know for sure if she's -"

"Dead?" Daniel shut the water off and clenched his fists around the sink. "I know. I know she's not. That's what I've been doing in here, all day, you know, feeling how very dead Vala is not. I watched her die once, and I felt it, and I don't know how I would know but I know that I know .. you know? Heh-heh."

Daniel turned to face her again, reached for his glasses with one hand and pressed the other against his temple. "Sam, this is crazy, this is completely insane, but I know I'm going to find her, I have to. She's out there somewhere."

Oh, no. Sam winced. She'd heard those words from his mouth before, and never wanted to hear them again. God, he deserved so much better. "Oh, Daniel."

"No." He closed his eyes and cocked one finger at her, the other still against his temple. "Before you say anything, Sam, this is nothing like Sha're. There will never .. be anything .. like Sha're. This is just a feeling, a premonition, not a driving .. I mean, it's not like I'm in love with -- you *don't* think I'm in love with -" Daniel shoved his glasses on and blinked owlishly at her.

Sam didn't have time to wipe off her shit-eating grin before Teal'c poked his head in the doorway.

"DanielJackson, ColonelCarter, are you prepared?"

"Yo! Let's get this party rollin'!" Col. Mitchell shouted from the hall behind.

Sam hopped up and draped Daniel's jacket over his shoulders. "Don't worry," she grinned mischievously. "I think she'd be good for you." She patted Daniel once on the back and tugged him toward the doorway. "C'mon. That fink Cam still owes me breakfast!" Sam directed her last shout in the direction of the new leader of SG-1.

"Hey, who you calling a fink, you little ..."

Daniel hung back, letting his friends' voices fade around the corner as he turned off the lights and locked up. "Huh," he said into the darkness, shaking his head as a real smile started to creep over his face. "Damn. Whattaya know."

The sound of his keys in the lock. Footsteps in the hall as he rushed to join his team at the elevator.

And then, silence.


End file.
